DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Status of the Claims
The amendment filed on 03/30/2026 has been entered. Claims 1, 4-5 and 9-13 have been amended and claims 15-18 have been newly added. Thus claims 1-18 are currently pending.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Group I, claims 1, 4-5, 9-10 and 15-18 in the reply filed on 03/30/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that:
claim 11 depends on claim 1 and that US’155 is drawn to a different process as it removes CO2 from a methanol product stream by gas stripping and does not disclose (i) capturing CO2 in a sorbent, (ii) forming a loaded sorbent, and (iii) regenerating the sorbent in a stripping unit;
US’155 does not disclose heat integration from the overhead stream from the distillation column to supply the stripping unit.
This is not found persuasive because upon further consideration, the technical feature of Groups I and II is
a system comprising at least one CO2 stripping unit A, at least one methanol distillation unit B, and at least one overhead heat exchanger unit C.
The limitation said units A, B, and C being arranged such that a raw methanol product is purified in a distillation unit B comprising at least one distillation column, obtaining a hot overhead stream from said at least one distillation column, wherein said hot overhead stream provides heat to heat exchanger C and at least part of said heat is provided to the, at least one, carbon dioxide stripping unit A for stripping carbon dioxide from the loaded carbon dioxide sorbent, thereby condensing stream into liquid methanol, of Group II are functional limitations of the apparatus that are not given patentable weight. As such, the heat integration from the overhead stream of the distillation column to the stripping unit is not considered the technical feature of Groups I and II.
Furthermore, Group II, claim 11 does not recite a capturing unit (sorbent) as recited in claim 1 and thus (i) capturing CO2 in a sorbent, (ii) forming a loaded sorbent, and (iii) regenerating the sorbent in a stripping unit, are not technical features of Groups I and II.
In view of the foregoing, since US’155 teaches a system comprising CO2 stripping unit 22, methanol distillation unit 14 and overhead heat exchanger unit 16, the technical feature of the current groups is not special.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is NOT made FINAL in view of the above reconsideration of technical feature.
Claims 11-14 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 16-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 16 recites the limitation "at least one heat exchanger unit D". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 17 is also rendered indefinite for depending on claim 16.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-10, 15 and 18 are allowed. The closest prior art references are Patent application publication numbers US20150353454A1 (US’454; cited in IDS 06/13/2023) and US20150202546A1 (US’546).
US’454 teaches a method for recovering carbon dioxide in a plant for synthesizing methanol from a hydrocarbon gas, includes: a reforming step of producing a reformed gas by a steam reforming reaction of a hydrocarbon gas; a methanol synthesis step of synthesizing methanol from the reformed gas; a combustion step of combusting a fuel gas to obtain a heat source of the steam reforming reaction; a carbon dioxide recovery step of recovering carbon dioxide, using an absorption liquid, from a combustion exhaust gas generated by the combustion; a step of obtaining a plurality of reformed gas heating media or reformed gas and methanol heating media of different temperatures from the reformed gas, or the reformed gas and the methanol; and an absorption liquid regeneration step of regenerating the absorption liquid by heating stepwise the absorption liquid having carbon dioxide absorbed therein to remove carbon dioxide from the absorption liquid, the heating being performed utilizing the plurality of heating media of different temperatures. The method of the present invention may further comprise a distillation step of distilling the methanol synthesized in the methanol synthesis step. In such a method, a heat exchange with the reformed gas generates an additional heating medium of different temperature, and the heating medium is used as a heat source of the distillation. Since a combustion discharge gas generates when a fuel gas is burned in order to obtain a heat source for the steam reforming, carbon dioxide is recovered from the combustion discharge gas in an absorption tower (40) using an absorption liquid. In a regeneration tower (10), the reformed gas is used first as a heat source for a first reboiler (20A) located at the tower bottom, and the reformed gas having a lowered temperature is then used as a heat source for a second reboiler (20B) located in a middle position to heat the absorption liquid in stages, thereby regenerating the absorption liquid (stripping unit) (Fig. 1).
However, the reference fails to teach or suggest obtaining a hot overhead stream from said at least one distillation column, wherein said hot overhead stream provides heat to heat exchanger C and at least part of said heat is provided to the, at least one, carbon dioxide stripping unit A for stripping carbon dioxide from the loaded carbon dioxide sorbent, thereby condensing stream into liquid methanol.
Furthermore, US’546 teaches a process for refining a stream of crude methanol (103), comprising: pre-treatment of said stream of crude methanol in a topping stage (100), for the separation of volatile components, obtaining a stream of light gases and a solution of de-gassed crude methanol (105), said pre-treatment being carried out at a defined topping pressure (p1); distillation of methanol from said solution of de-gassed crude methanol; wherein the distillation of methanol comprises at least one final distillation step of methanol at a defined distillation pressure (p4), characterized in that said distillation pressure (p4) of said final step is greater than said topping pressure (p1), and a gaseous stream of distilled methanol (440) produced in the final distillation step (overhead stream), is used to supply at least part of a heat flow for the pre-treatment topping step (Fig. 1). However, the reference fails to teach that the heat recovered from the overhead stream is used in providing heat to a carbon dioxide stripping unit as instantly claimed.
Moreover, the combination of US’454 and US’546 fails to make the instantly claimed method obvious.
US’454 further teaches the process as comprising a distillation step of distilling the methanol synthesized in the methanol synthesis step; wherein a heat exchange with the reformed gas generates an additional heating medium of different temperature, and the heating medium is used as a heat source of the distillation. Thus, at best, combining the teachings of US’454 and US’546, a skilled artisan would have a reasonable expectation of success in arriving at a process in which in addition to the heat recovered from the reformed gas of US’454, the heat recovered from the overhead stream of the methanol distillation column of US’546 would be used to supply heat to the distillation column of US’454. There is no motivation to use the heat recovered from the overhead stream as a heat supply to the carbon dioxide stripping unit of US’454 because it would require an extensive modification of equipment in order to direct the heat recovered from the overhead stream as a heat source to regenerate the absorption liquid. Furthermore, such modification would result in waste of heat that is generated from the reformed gas of US’454. Thus, the combination of the references would still use the reformed gas as a heat source for the stripping unit thereby regenerating the absorption liquid.
In view of the foregoing, the instantly claimed method for the preparation of methanol is deemed novel and unobvious.
Conclusion
Claims 1-10, 15 and 18 are allowed and claims 16-17 are rejected.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MEDHANIT W BAHTA whose telephone number is (571)270-7658. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-5pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Scarlett Goon can be reached at 571-270-5241. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/MEDHANIT W BAHTA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1692
Prosecution Insights